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Strong earthquake hits Taiwan, 1 injury reported

A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked
southern Taiwan on Thursday morning causing buildings to sway
hundreds of miles to the north. Local news reports
said at least one person was injured.

The quake was centered in the county of Kaohsiung, and struck at
a depth of about 3.1 miles. Kaohsiung is about 249
miles south of the capital Taipei.

Residents in Taipei could feel buildings shake, and the quake
caused power outages. The island's high-speed rail service was
suspended, Taiwan's cable news stations reported.

No tsunami alert was issued.

A Kaohsiung official told the CTI news station some temporary
shelter housing shelters, erected in the wake of a devastating
typhoon last summer, collapsed as a result of the quake.

Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan but most are minor and
cause little or no damage.

However, a 7.6-magnitude temblor in central Taiwan in 1999
killed more than 2,300 people. In 2006 a 6.7-magnitude quake south
of Kaohsiung severed undersea cables and disrupted telephone and
Internet service to millions throughout Asia.